Rotary steam-engine



(No Model.)

H. L. PHELPS.

ROTARY STEAM ENGINE. 7 No. 404,557. Patented June 4, 1889.

814.4) @wtoz Now/vi PM? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOMER LEROY PHELPfi OF ATHENS, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROTARY STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 404,557, dated June 4, 1889. Application filed August 6, 1888. Serial No. 282,083. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOMER LEROY PHELPS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Athens, in the county of Bradford and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Steam-f Engines; and I do hereby declare the follow-.

.ing tOjbe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to various new and useful improvements in rotary steam-engines, mainly consisting in a peculiar eccentric piston driven by steam admitted and controlled by valves of peculiar construction, in conjunction with suitable inlet and outlet ports, and in the novel operative combinations of the various parts.

The prime object of my invention is to effect the saving of steam, and I accomplish this by a peculiar construction of the piston and its Working parts, and of the said valves, thus enabling me to use the steam expansively to a great extent, by means of which the amount of steam used is about one-third less than is ordinarily the case.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to comprehend my invention, attention is directed to the following views, in which like letters refer to corresponding parts in the several drawings.

Figure 1 is a central cross-section of the engine. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal cross-section, and Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the valve.

In the drawings, let A designate the cylinder, and B B the cylinder-heads, one or both cast with the cylinder or fastened to the cylinder in any suitable manner to render the cylinder steam-tight, or by which it may be packed steam-tight. l/Vithin this cylinder and passing directly through the center of the same, and continuing centrally through the cylinder-heads B B, is the shaft 0. To this shaft 0 is eccentrically secured a piston, D. This piston is made in two sections a and b. The larger part a, through which passes the shaft 0, has a tongue at, of its entire width, which is adapted to enter a groove 1) in the smaller section I) of the piston and thus hold the same firmly. This section b,

when in position on the tongue a, should fit nicely against the cylinder A and the heads B B, so as to form practically a steam-tight joint between them. Said piston D is so arranged'upon the shaft 0 that the portion 1) just comes into contact with the body of the cylinder at the point 0. The reasonfor having this division of the piston is that when the part 1) becomes worn by contact at c with the inner surface of. the cylinder-Wall it can be caused to move on the tongue at toward the wall of the cylinder in any convenient way, and thus always meet said Wall at the point e on the downstroke and at an opposite point 0 just as the piston begins the upstroke.

Beyond the openings cl cl, which are used for the introduction of steam, is the double steam-chest e e. WVithin each of these chests, respectively, are the valves E E, so arranged that when the steam enters or leaves the cylinder it carries said valves with it until its progress is arrested by the projections e 6 inside of the openings d d, or the piston, as the case may be. The openings F F give communication of the steam-chests e c with the interior of the cylinder A. Between these steam-chests is a partition H, separating the live from the exhaust steam. Above and below the said chests are situated the two exhaust chambers or ports G G.

The construction of the valves E E is as follows: Each are alike in form and action; hence a description of one will suffice for both. Each consists of a flat body f, at the forward portion of which is a projection f, made integral therewith, extending upward at an angle of nearly thirty degrees and somewhat thicker than the body f. Extending forward and on each side of this projection are two other short projections g g. The inside distance between these two latter projections is slightly greater than the width of the part a of the piston. The side surfaces f and f of the body f are at a somewhat less angle than forty-five degrees, (though that is not necessary,) to enable the valve to keep in the track it or h of the steam-chest e ore, so that when pushed forward by the onward rush of the steam it will not overbalance itself when through the openings F or F and fall into the cylinder.

In case it should be desired to reverse the motion of the engine the steam, instead of entering the port d, is caused by suitable means to enter at (1, and in this case it exits at G instead of G; otherwise the operation is the same.

The operation is as follows: Steam comes from the boiler through suitable pipes and enters the port 61, passing through the valvechest 6 in the meantime, pushing the valve E with it, and, when the projection f of said valve passes the opening F, rushes forward and into the cylinder, where it presses against the sides of the tongue I) of the piston until said piston revolves on its shaft 0. After the piston makes about two-thirds of a revolution the valve E is pressed back by the presentation of the larger side of the piston and the projection f fills the opening F, thus cutting off the supply of steam for the 'time being and allowing that in the cylinder to act expansively. As the piston is still being pushed forward by the steam, the former live steam becoming exhausted passes into the chamber G and from thence into the open air; but while the latter is occurring the portion I) of the piston has passed the valve E, which is gradually pressed onward by the steam behind it until the piston arrests its passage, whereupon the steam enters the cylinder as before and goes through the same operation. \Vhen the valve E is in use the other one E covers the opening (1. A reverse motion is given to the portion, as before mentioned, by admitting steam 011 the other side of the partition H.

Having now described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a rotary engine of the character described, the combination of the cylinder, a piston mounted eccentrically on a shaft passing through the same, a valve-chest at one side of said cylinder, the chambers G G, connected with said cylinder, separated from each other by a partitio n,and the valves E E, one in each chamber, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a rotary engine, a sliding valve E, consisting of a flat body f, front a, projection f, and side projections g g, substantially as described.

3. In a rotary engine, the GOlIlblIlittlOl],\\itIl the piston made in two parts mounted eccentrically on a shaft, of the valves E E, working in conjunction with said piston and bearing in the tracks h h, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HOMER LEROY PHELPS.

\Vitnesses:

GEO. D. MILLER, .T. ll. MILLER. 

